Spotlight On: Loving Her, by CM Hutton

Boring, but completely gorgeous. That was my first impression of him. My next two thoughts were ‘pompous ass’ and ‘cocky jerk.’ And, I had the glorious pleasure of sharing a table with him for the entire night. He didn’t speak, didn’t grunt….he just nodded and stared. If I weren’t taking my bosses place at this dinner, I’d have found another place to sit and escape Rylan Daniels.

‘Absolutely beautiful’ was what I thought when I found her at my table at the Ad Execs quarterly dinner. She wore a black strapless dress and exuded confidence from every part of her. I nodded to her, but didn’t speak. I really didn’t have much to say anyway.

I couldn’t quit staring and had to excuse myself at one point to stand across the room and watch her. It was a strange, unwelcome feeling I was having about this stunning woman.

It had been five years….five years since Kristen…..and I still couldn’t move on. That kind of hurt you just don’t get over so easily and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to get over it. But, here I was, completely intrigued and unable to stop thinking about Jen Bailey.

I hated going to these stupid functions! Weird guys with slicked-back hair and way too much cologne on gave me the creeps. If it weren’t for my boss, I wouldn’t be here. But, when he asked me to come in his place while he was gone out of the country, I couldn’t say no. He’d never asked me to go to anything in his place, so I saw this as a positive sign that he was beginning to have confidence in me and my abilities. Hell, I’d only worked for the crazy bastard for six years! It was about time he recognized my strengths.

I strolled into the swank hotel all decked out in my new black strapless dress and red Christian Louboutin heels. I loved these heels. They were a gift to myself for….something.

I found my seat at a round table near the front of the room. This was a once a quarter dinner set up for all the execs at the top ad agencies in the San Diego area. I had been working for Sullivan & Jackson since finishing my masters in marketing. I’d done fairly well moving up in the company, so I guess I shouldn’t complain about the lack of recognition. I just never knew that Michael Camden noticed until today.

I didn’t know anyone at the table, but I’d never had a problem socializing. I was getting a delicious meal, a few drinks and some much needed self-promoting this evening and I planned to enjoy every moment.

I noticed him walking toward my table with his impassive face and stiff body language. I was hoping he would pass on by because as good looking as he was, he looked like a total ass and I didn’t want to be stuck with a pompous jerk for the evening. But, as luck would have it, he sat down directly across from me with barely a nod of acknowledgement. Wow, how did this guy get a job in marketing? What does he sell….sticks to shove up assholes? I nearly laughed out loud. Nice one, Jen! I silently patted myself on the back.Rylan

She was incredibly beautiful. I hadn’t seen her at any of the dinners before. When I found her sitting at the same table and she looked straight at me, I froze not knowing what to say. Thankfully, some of the awkwardness went away as soon as Jim showed up and began his inquisition, taking her focus off me.

I listened intently all evening to learn more about her. What I learned was that she worked for a rival ad agency and had impeccable people skills. She didn’t skip a beat keeping up with all the macho crap at our table and I was pretty impressed.

She looked close to my age and judging by her conversation with Jim Davis, she was well educated and worked hard. Knowing Michael like I did, he’d obviously seen her talent and respected her abilities enough to send her in here with all these sharks.

I sat quietly most of the night, as usual. I rarely saw the need in mindless, meaningless conversation anymore. It served no purpose to me, even though I did enjoy listening to it. It occupied my mind and kept me focused on the present…on life.

I’m a wife, a mom of three, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend and a teacher. Now I can add writer to my list! I’ve always loved to write and finally found the inspiration and support to put my first novel on display for others to read.

I live near Austin, Texas with my family where I teach school and run around like crazy taking care of my crew. I absolutely love to read and tend to totally ignore my ‘near and dear’ when I’m lost in a good book. Put me on a beach somewhere with a great story and the whole world just disappears around me.

Loving Her is my second novel. I’m working hard to continually improve my writing; hoping to make my stories better, my characters more loveable and my fans proud!